Well got out flying today so it's time for a new entry. This is a thread so I'll make it a thread about my Beaver. Subsequent entries are posted as replies (comments) to this post. View the last entry here


OK I was out at the big ball field with Sam around 10AM. It's warm (for Feb) and sunny and not too breezy. He's zooming around with his brushless SlowStick while I prepped the Beaver. The motor stick was a bit squishy up front so I added some tape and bolted it all back together. Today I was hoping to work out some trim kinks. Sam tossed and away it went. I got up high and started a cycle of cutting power then slamming it back up to check the thust line. Seems I have a LOT of right thrust.
Chopped throttle once over the chain link backstop and I breifly lost control. This is a surprize because I'm useing my new Spektrum DX6 ! I think it was a combination of the chainlink and the fact that the Tx battery was at 9.2 volts. way to test it eh? - information from rcgroups is that chain link can cause reflections and interference patterns at 2.4ghz - It came down way out in the field between some big holes being dug in the infield at the bases and control returned just in time for me to recover and get it safely on the ground between the holes.

Retrieved the plane and Sam tossed it again but now the plane battery was not putting out and it dove for the grass. I Mannage to not crash it but the left rear float strut broke anyway. Dang those things are fragile.

This was flight number 300 on this plane which now has about 2615minutes on it. I've been logging this stuff on paper but now I have blogs.

Later today, about 4:30 I put it back on wheels and adjust the thrust angle taking out most of the right thrust and almost all of the down. Walked over to the elementary school to give it a try. It just barely gets airborn and is flipping and stalling all over the place. Somehow I got it comming back to me and actually landed. It nosed over in some really rough dirt. No shame there. Stubbornly tried several more times with both batteries before deciding that they were cold, temp is now below freezing, and simply were not going to power the plane. Went back home for the new Kokam 1250 and it pulled fine until I walked it over to the field and then it was the same story. Only enough power to do dammage so I got wise and gave up. Gonna count flight 301 but still 2615minutes.

Got out to fly today! First time in Months. It was calm, overcast and fairly warm. Sam was out flying his new Beaver on floats from the short grass. Mine is on wheels while the new floats are still on the bench. It's all back together with a new stab. Everything is nice and straight again.

Switched back to a GWS 8X10 prop, radio on, battery in, check it over, run up. It seems a bit weak but it's pulling itself over the short grass on the field so I decide to try it. It rolls easily and nice and straight. The tail comes up, I eased the stick back and it came off still holding nice and straight. A very scale looking takeoff. Something I've not done with this plane for a long while. The battery warms up (7cell Ray-o-Vac AAA pack) and it starts climbing nice. A couple beeps of down trim and it's flying nicely. At reduced throttle setting it was needing some left trim as well.

Sam calls for a clockwise pattern so I start a right turn and we just circle for a while. The battery did not have a full charge as it started to fade after about 5 mins. Came down and I landed way out in the field rather than trying to 'milk' another turn. I expected a nose over but it landed nice under power.

Popped in the Duracell pack. Power was much better and the takeoff was a bit shorter. Flew around just enjoying the plane and trying to keep it away from the bright clouds covering the morning sun. After about 5 minutes I bring it down and land nicely again but quite far away. By the time I walked out to it the battery had recovered. I walked it back, set it down pointed into the very slight breeze and powered up. Away it went for a third time. After doing several more circutes I lined it up and landed a bit closer. Sam says: "A no glue day is a good day".

total airframe time now : 2630 minutes.

The weather finally looked good. After Snow on Saturday (very late for this area), and huge wind all day it went calm at five o-clock. OK batteries are charged, Beaver is ready lets go. Well... it looked good. The park is a 5 minute drive but about 500' up and away from the water so the weather can be quite different. The sky looked stormy and the fresh snow on the mountains added to the ominous gloom. There was a pretty good breeze - the flags were flopping - out of the north.

Checked over the plane, stuck in the Duracell pack and checked power. Lots a pull. Walked through the gate from the parking lot and the motor chirped. Huh? The DX6 never glitches. Ahh... I remember chain link fences can be a problem and I just walked through one. OK, set it down, power up and off it goes. A nice straight roll-out, it dances on the wheels a bit over the uneven dirt then its in the air. Then it's really dancing! Wow! turbulance I add power to full and skate around the park for a few laps. It hit the LVC and started dropping. Left stick back then forward and its off again. I leave it a notch or two down from the top.

Eventually I found an area of consistant upward air so I work it like a glider in a thermal until it climbs to about 100 - 150 meters. Pretty small. Cut throttle and push forward. It drops, bumps, and grinds around the sky for a few minutes then add power and set up a landing just to see how tough it was gonna be. With a southerly wind the approach is over that chain link so I wanted to come in steep and fast. It looks good so I step out of the way and it touches a bit rough and threated to nose over. The prop clicked off the dirt and it was stopped safely.

I consider the conditions for a few minutes hoping to see signs of calming. Not seeing any I set it down pointed into the wind and took off again anyway. Again it was dancing around. Two or three circuts later I setup a landing. Fast and steep again. A lucky gust sets it down ever so gently right at my feet. Actually watching the gear work as the wheels brush the dirt I call it a day.
2640 minutes.

Even though there was a light frost on the cars early today it's officially summer. The sun was warm, the wind was gentle, the Beaver was flying, Sam was in shorts. OK that last bit may be to much information eh?.

I got out just before 9:00am and at the ball park there was a few people arriving in the far corner. I stoped and asked and the word was they would be starting up at 9:30. I figured I had at least 15 minutes to fly. Parked the car, checked over the Beaver, turned on the DX6 and plugged in the Duracell pack. Walked over to the infield, picked a smooth spot, check the flags for wind and powered up. The tail lifted immediatly, I let it gather some speed and just thought - OK, that should do it - then it was airborn.

I have a saying - "I luv it when s#!t werks". A few circuts later it was at a nice cruising altitude and climbing just a click or two down from full throttle and the motor quit. No problem I had plenty of altitude. Pull the stick back and let it glide down toward me. Throttle up a bit and away it goes again. I think the GWS 100 (5amp) ESC is being pushed a bit. Cruised around and practiced some stall turns. Sam and Beverly stopped by and asked for a fly-by so I swooped in over the parking lot low and fast. A couple circuts later the LVC cuts in again so head for the infield and land nicely. Taxi back around the pitchers mound. Love that steerable tailwheel.

The battery seemed to have lot's left so I powered up and off again. Two or three circuts and the LVC cuts it yet again. It's pretty low this time so I quickly powered back up while banking around. I misplanned the approach and it nosed over in the thick wet grass. No dammage. The ball players and the wind had both increased so we plan to get out later in the day.

2655 minutes

Wow Got lot's of flying in this weekend. Saturday AM (previous log entry), then PM and again Sunday PM. Put over a dozen flights on the old Beaver and the worst dammage was the tailwheel pulled off on one bad landing.

Saturday evening there were 4 pilots out at the field starting at about 7:30. The ball players were finished. Jan had his e-glider near the top of a thermal. I plugged in the 1250 2cell LiPo and set the timer. The ESC is not LiPo aware so I'm timing the flights and charges. I'm thinking a LiPo saver would be a good idea. The grass is getting pretty rough (not at the infield) so the take-offs were a bit challenging but once in the air it was just fine. The calm, cool air was a pleasure after the wind. Also the LiPo is a huge power increase over my NiMs.

After some cruising around however I discovered the the right wing wanted to drop as the air speed came up. The LiPo was allowing a bit more airspeed than the 7cell and the problem seemed to be getting worse. Colin and Sam came buy and each put planes in the air. I landed to diagnose the issue. On the ground I noticed that the motor mount had work a bit loose. This was possible due to nose over this AM or just the increased power exposing an existing condition. With fingers trembling in the cold I pulled the prop and cowl, cut and wedged in some bamboo shims, then put it all back together without loosing a screw or nut in the grass. I fly it around some more but the issue is still evident. Perhaps it's just too fast for this wing.

With just over 10 minutes on the LiPo I switch to the Duracell NiMh pack. I'm sure it'll do a solid 15 but I don't want to push it. After an aborted Take-off from the grass I step over the the North infield and it struggles into the air. It looks very scale but I sure prefer the LiPo. Also the speed control is cutting off the motor if I spend too much time at full throttle. Maybe it's time to try a 9X7 prop again. hmmm... 3 short flights with this battery, including one unplanned landing, and two on the LiPo.

Sunday evening the ball field is a ball field so I hop over to the high school field. This is a nice place to fly but there are soccer / football goals out in the middle near the ends and no dirt infields for take-off / landing. Time to get the floats back on or make some tundra tires. The motor mount has been wedged and epoxied solid again and I velcroed the Rx which had come loose and moved back. I plug in the Duracell pack saving the LiPo for flying with Sam later. Again the take-off is squirely and this concerns me because while I can abort and try again on land it'll be a much bigger problem on water. The LVC cuts and forces me down, then again. The third time I'm pretty close to the ground and quite far out. It hits hard and just catches a wing tip before settling upright. The tail wheel was pulled off.

I dug around in the case for a good piece of rubber band to cut a new retainer for the tail wheel and plug in the LiPo. Sam and Beverly arrive and a moment later Colin. After a very squirely Take off we're all three doing circuts for the camera. Man that LiPo is nice! Only problem with it is I'm too worried about hurting it. The Beaver still likes a pretty narrow speed range. When I turn steep and let it drop it noses up a lot when I level the wings. Colin says it's simply because of the speed and not a CG issue. Hmmm.. Gotta rethink my flying a bit.

After a practice pass I land to check my clock. 10 minutes. Having timed and calculated the charge I now know its good for 15. I picked a smooth spot and concentrated on the takeoff. Powered up easy and let the speed build it stayed pretty straight and came away very nice. Hmm.. Maybe I've just been trying to pull up too early due to the rough grass and/or getting crosswind. More rethink. Voltage on the LiPo is still good so it may do 20 minutes.

All in all a very nice weekend of flying. Can't wait to see some of the vid.

2690 minutes

After non flying weather all weekend I finally got out just around 7:00 tonight. The wind was still up by dying off quickly. Ball field was busy so off to the High school field. Checked over the plane, pluged in the Duracell pack and powered up. Power checked OK so I commited aviation. It bumped along then got off and climbed ok. Then I'm frustrated by a continual roll to the right which isn't correcting. Several minutes later I decide to land and try to fix it. The landing is gentle and smooth but its turning left then stalling left.

I grab the right wing and try to put in some aileron trim by bending it. Line up and take off again. No dice, still flying crooked. What do I do to make this plane "straighten up and fly right"? LVC cuts so I let it drop in, reset power land again, same issue. Take off and do another circut and land right away. 3 short flights and maybe 10 minutes on the pack.

Its such a nice evening I throw in the Kokam and check power. Enough to get out of almost any problem. Take off is ugly but it's in the air so fast its safely away before I know it. Still doing the roll right thing. The faster it's flying the worse the roll. Flying nice and slow its almost flying straight. I get tired of the roll issue, my hands are cold and the sky is getting darker tho the wind has died. The landing is uglier than the takeoff resulting in a nose in and a broken gear fairing. I decide I can't leave on a sour note so I take off again - better - and do 2 circuts then land pretty good. Not great but the best one of the evening. Time to pack it in. 6 minutes on the Kokam.

2705 minutes.

Got out just before supper (about 5:00) yesterday. The main ball park was busy but the lower one was open. After serious rain all day it finally quit but was still overcast and a breeze was up a bit. I'd done a re-n-re on the wing fixing up the mounting. Stuck in the Duracell pack and checked it over, recentered the trims and checked power. Power was good so I picked a smooth solid spot across the grass pointed into the wind and powered up. After a minor correction to keep it heading into the wind it was up and climbing. And rolling very slightly left. A couple of clicks right and a few down and it was tracking straight lines with wings level. I luv it when stuff works!

After what seemed at least 10 minutes I figured to land upwind I was gonna be out in the middle of the field so I walked out and brought it in. A circut to kill altitude a practice pass to judge the wind and it was brushing the short grass and settled in gentle as you please. Power was good still so off it went again. I'm quite impressed with all this grass ROG and landing. Partly due to the grass being short and the ground well sanded and partly due to the gear wire being braced with rearward struts.

The second TO was a bit wobbly but it got safely away. The second landing caught me cross wind. Darn wind was shifting. It rolled right past my feet on one wheel in nice straight line for almost 10 meters before settling down. Sam had just walked up to watch and there was still good power so I powered up carefully and made a really nice T.O. and climbout. Did a few short laps and let it down adjusting power to stretch it. The wind had shifted about 90 degrees and it literaly got blown off my intended course. It touched down and the mains dragged through the grass. The prop was mowing lawn for a meter or so then the tail finally droped. You could almost hear the pilot go 'whew' - oh wait I was the pilot.

I put in the Kokam and marvel yet again at all that spare power. Yikes. It was flying around at half throttle today on the NiMhs! What a difference a well trimed and straight airplane makes to the power levels required to fly it. At 75% its off the ground in no time and I'm cutting power. Then adding, then cutting, then hard left and down, now hard right and a touch up,... Suddenly that breeze had become very turbulant. Three minutes later it just wasn't fun anymore so landed again and packed it up.

All the landings were gentle and the plane was flying straight.
2725 minutes

Sam and I got out to the lower ball field this morning just as the breeze was picking up. The morning thermals were up big time. Even with the Duracell 7 cell NiMh pack I was climbing at 1/2 throttle. The takeoff was nice and scale and the Beaver was flying well but definitly getting tossed around a bit. Sam took off and we did circuts around the area. The morning sunshine was also a problem. We walked to the south corner of the field to avoid looking at it.

I got caught with the LVC as I was diving and by the time I noticed there was no throttle it was too late to do anything but level the wings and land. It nosed over and the rudder tip cracked. A bit of tape and I was back in business for another try.

Off again a repeat of the first T.O. Tail up, build speed over the grass then its off. After a few circuts Sam called a landing and I positioned to setup behind him. He was too high and called off. I did an "S" to kill altitude (dang that turbulance) brought it in and down then managed a nice touch down and rollout.

2735 minutes

All too soon it was time to pack the car for the mornings treck to the Chilliwack spring Electric fly-in. Huh? nooo I hadn't had time to finish the floats or test fly the plane with them (the latter would be the real problem). Family mid-life make for slow model building/maintaining eh? Slapped on a coat of some white paint I had handy and hoped for the best.

Saturday AM I pick up Rick and we arrive after the rain stops about 10 am. It's really an amazing sight. Everything from a SlowStick on floats to Ivan's 100" span Shorts Solent. I spend some time getting the wing on the Beaver and rigging the water rudder lines. Check the CG again, walked to the water and set it in. It floats! Not that I thought it wouldn't it's just nice to see the proof. Powered up and motor around a bit. Rudders are working too . Line up into what wind was there and power up more. It's pulling right then left and generally will not stay in a straight line. I abort 2 or 3 attempts before getting speed while the wings were level enough for it to get light. I notice it's nosing up so I push the left stick all the way and hope.

It came off the water! woooo but It's definitly waaay out of trim. Rolling hard right and nosing up when level. Too much of a handfull to get my fingers on the trims I opt for getting it back instead of going for altitude. The right roll issue means it won't fly straight so I knew it was gonna hit like a sever cross wind landing which is not a good thing on floats. I let it come down and somehow manage to get back onto the water looking pretty level. Then it caught a float tip and flipped. Well after that wild ride I can't really embarass myself much more. Good points - power and float setup is not a problem. Bad point's trim, trim, and trim! Gotta fix that wing hold down issue! Wish I was better at remembering names so I could properly thank the guy that helped me with Ivan's canoe for the recovery.

Later I get a turn to fly from the main field and without changing anything but adding down trim it's suddenly under control. Still rolling hard right but under control. Looking very Beaver like under sodden sky and over sodden field I think I'm somewhat recovered from embarassement. Yes, I can fly R/C airplanes in front of large crowds. The landing was rough but safe. Switching to wheels I got another chance to fly later in the drizzle. I stuck a piece of 3mm foam under the right wing root. ROG was great and now I'm trimming back to the right as it wants to roll a bit left! Bingo! Problem solved. Now to figure out how to get it the same every time I put the wing back on!

Next Morning I was unable to try again at the pond because the float struts had come apart at the floatmount. Lesson learned: hotglue sticks well to wood...until the wood gets wet! Also, that paint I used on the floats was NOT water proof. blah.

Got out with Sam Sunday morning. Pulled the RX out of the NYP after an issue with the ailerons grounded it for the time being. Sam's CF-FHB flew as rock steady as ever. Mine,... not so much. I'm still stuggling with serious roll-trim issues. First T.O. looked very much like my flight over the pond at Chilliwack. I got it back but it was a struggle and ended up tipped into the grass. Digging around in my case I scrounged a piece of foam to block the right LE up at the root and tried again. Too much it's banking left. Land again, roughly then block up the left LE some. Back to banking right but only slightly. It looked and felt reasonably good in the air so I kept flying.

The field started to fill up with ball players so I kept it high. At a point there felt to be too many people around so I setup and land on the infield pretty good. A father of one of my son's friends walks over to see, and the ball players have congregated on the field in the far corner, so I taxii back and T.O. a forth time. A couple of circuits and I notice it takes another notch or two of power to hold level flight so I line up and bring it in.
"I'm gonna land right across in front of us so just keep an eye on it and step out of the way if need be" I say.
"Looks like you're in control" he says. It's lined up and dropping in just about perfectly.
"That's an illusion" I correct him as it just brushes the grass. I add power shooting a tad long but right in line. The wheels catch some soft rough dirt and it flips. Later I see the top of the rudder is broken over for the umpteenth time. Co-incidently I have a new rudder cut from a takeout tray all painted up and waiting to install.

I have now blocked up the wing hold down to add some incidence and provide a solid surface for the wing bolts to tighten onto. Hopefully I'll be able to adjust it so it stays adjusted. Another thing I did was to heat and bend the TE down to give full camber. I'd originally shaved the underside of the TE to a nice feather edge. My thought is that this was giving a reflexed airfoil and a way forward CG.

arrggghh! it's not better yet. Couldn't resist hopping over to the local elementary school yard to try the Beaver again. This field is really too small for my Beaver. I used to fly it here a lot with the stock wing but with this wing its just a bit tight. But the chance was there and the weather good so...

T.O. from the small, rough, dirt infield was OK and it seemed to be flying pretty straight. Then I started the climb-out and things went bad. Again that right wing is dropping and it's nosing up so I push forward and get it under enough control to do a climbing circle up past the tree tops. Adding left trim seemed to make the situation worse instead of better! What's up with that? So.. bring it back down. Nosed over in the grass pretty gently considering the situation.

I re-center the rudder trim thinking to try again. Not sure why I expected a different result but .. off again nice and straight when level then drops the right wing with any elevator input at all. Well, the transmitter was beeping low battery warning anyway so I bring it down pretty good trying to skim the tall thick grass. I lost it and it smacked down pretty hard on it's nose. No real dammage but the motor seems a bit loose again.

I'm thinking the extra incidence is causing a near stall condition at speeds and attitudes that I'm used to seeing. With the right wing having even a bit more AoA it's going to keep stalling to the right and increasing left rudder trim increases AoA on the right which increased the tendancy to roll right. Sound logical? Anyway I checked the CG at home and it was at 25% so that's OK. Sanded down the new wing mount to bring incidence back and hopefully the same on both wings. This could take a few more tries. Also that new rudder, while looking straight front to back is slightly curved in the vertical. Well - blame the material. Get out the hairdryer I guess.

Wing mount adjusted, motor mount tightened up again, (one firewall screw had pulled loose) and a calm morning at the park to try it out again. There is still a bit more incidence than before the mount modification.

btw - I've been using the Kokam 1250 pack exclusively. The Ray-o-vac pack has finally tired out and the Duracells are done. Of the three brands tried the Ray-o-vac definitly outlasted. Kokam installed and everything checked over I found a good spot and powered up. I'm at the big ball field. The grass is kept pretty short and well sanded. It's ideal really. Almost a golf green.

Full up, powered up and off it goes nice and straight. Let off the elevator and the tail lifts immediatly shortly followed by the wheels. It climbs and I drop power a notch or two. Its really much better but I still notice that it wants to roll to the right and enter a spin. Countering results in a nose high attitude so I'm continually pushing down and left. At lower speeds the effect is less so It's a continual fight. After a few minutes I bring it in. There is a gentelman watching and he comments how quiet it is. - "It's electric." I state. The first approach is pretty long. The wind from the South East has me comming in fast and low over the North West corner and the fence is freaking me a bit. I power up, fight it around and .. I expect it to nose over but it doesn't. I get a very pretty landing. My spectator is suitably impressed and wanders off.

For the next 2 flights I try pulling the LE of alternate wings down with a small piece of tape. It doesn't help much. The landings are all nose over and even one complete flip. That's getting very frustrating after the first one was soooo nice. Finally I block up the right LE at the root just as before and I'm rewarded with a relatively straight flying airplane. Finally I think I'm going to get a nice landing. It's OK but not great. I taxii it back to myself then T.O. again to try to do better.

The next landing is terrible resulting in a nose over. For some reason I just can't seem to get it right today after that first one. It seems to be comming into ground effect just as I flare and jumping high. The few extra degrees of incidence is perhaps requireing a more nose down attitude.

I decide I've probably put enough time on the Kokam and try the Duracells. They've been on a slow charge overnight. They fly the plane but just barely. I almost abort the rollout is so long but it does come off and away. The LVC cuts power over the North fence on the first circut. I quickly reset and setup the approach. It looks OK but bounces up then back down pretty hard. I check and the motor mount is still solid as most of the noseovers have been pretty gentle. No more NiMhs for me.

Got out yesterday evening as well. Twice in one day! Got out to the main field about 8:00pm. The ball players were gone and the wind was dieing off. Popped in the Kokam and lined it up. T.O. would be down wind but there was very little wind to worry about.

Cruised around for the whole 15 minutes just enjoying the fact that it was still flying straight. Lined up and did one rough touch-n-go from over the fence. It caught the grass just before the dirt and worked the gear pretty good. The thrust line is also bang on because it's not nosing up too much or pulling left at all when power is applied. There was a boy watching and asking so I powered up for a stall turn and it went up so easily I completed the loop, dropping throttle on the down line kept it nice and round. It worked so nice I went around and did another from a bit lower.

Eventually I landed and it touched settled and rolled out a bit. Powered up and taxiied back. Full 15 minutes on the clock. Then Jan came by with his e-glider. Since power still seemed right up I figured it would go a few more circutes without trouble. Powered up and off it went again. I let it climb hard then cruised around. The second landing was almost as good as the first but it rolled out hard to the right onto the grass. Didn't nose in though.

Even though I flew over the 15 minutes the battery took under an hour to charge. 20 minutes should be OK, gotta get an low voltage alarm put together for it.

Yesterday evening turned out just perfect. I called Jan and Sam to go flying, did the dishes, walked the dog, loaded the car, and headed out to the field. The weather is perfect, the evenings are loooong (I don't get home from work 'till 6:30!). The main field is still busy with Ball players so Sam opens the gates at the big ball diamond for us. Sam has his Cub and Jan is flying a small e-glider which has already been floating around for 20 minutes.

Since my NiMhs are done I'm wishing I had more than 1 battery. Even though I rarely use full throttle I do like the extra time, power responce, and weight savings I get with the LiPo. I've added hard balsa blocks under the LEs at the roots to set the AoA on each wing.

The air is calm and warm, the sun is low behind us and we all commit aviation - Jan having landed and joined us. I can't even recall who got airborn first. The Beaver rolled out straight and seemed to fly OK. Man it just didn't want to stop climbing. I trimmed down a few clicks and pulled the power back to just over half. Late afternoon thermals kept pulling it up. Soon it became apparent that the right wing was dropping again so I landed. The grass has grown some and though the approach looks good it noses over anyway.

Blocking up the right wing another millimeter or so I try again and this time it needs just a click or two of right and it's flying very nice. Sam and I cruise around just enjoying the early evening sun lighting up the planes. The Beaver feels light and responsive and is probably flying about as well as it ever has. Nice and straight, not changing attitude with power and not nosing up rolling out of turns. In fact it's flying as beautiful as the evening. I power into a loop just for the joy of it. Later another loop dropped me right behind and just below Sam's Cub almost as if I'd planned it.

The shadows from the buildings and trees behind us get long. It's requiring another notch or two of power to stay level and Jan's watch shows 20 minutes since my first T.O. so I bring it in. As carefull as possible it still noses in on the grass. Checking the battery it shows 7.6 volts still so I plug it all back in and T.O. again. Love being able to ROG with it. A breeze from the North is up a bit Sam lands and so do. This time I carry a bit more AoA. The mains lightly brush the grass and it settles in as I plant the tail. One of my most perfect landings. A beautiful end to a beautiful evening. Over 20 minutes and the battery is still at 7.4 just out of the plane.

Back home the battery charges in 52 minutes at the 1amp setting so maybe one is enough for now after all.